Opposite Diets, Similar Results: Carnivore vs. Vegan

Two diets stand out for their polar opposite philosophies: the carnivore diet and the vegan diet. Despite their clear differences, both diets have been praised for offering similar health benefits, including improved sleep, increased energy, better cognition, enhanced mood, and better body composition. This paradox raises an intriguing question: How can two entirely different dietary approaches yield such similar health outcomes?

The Debate: Carnivore vs. Vegan

The debate between the carnivore and vegan communities is intense. Vegans criticize the carnivore diet for its exclusion of plant-based nutrients, emphasizing the importance of fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables. They argue that these nutrients are crucial for digestive health, reducing inflammation, and preventing chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

On the other hand, carnivore diet adherents argue that plant-based diets lack essential nutrients found in animal products, such as vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. They contend that these nutrients are vital for brain function, muscle maintenance, and overall health. Carnivores also highlight that plant-based diets can include antinutrients, which may inhibit the absorption of essential minerals.

The Common Thread: What We’re Not Eating

Despite these differences, the surprising similarity in benefits from these opposed diets made me realize a crucial point: perhaps the key to these positive health outcomes lies not in what is being consumed, but rather in what is being avoided. Both diets, by their nature, eliminate a wide range of processed foods that dominate the modern diet—industrialized seed oils, processed grains, and added sugars. These components are often linked to various health issues.

Processed foods are typically high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and sodium, contributing to a range of chronic health problems. Industrialized seed oils, for instance, are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause inflammation when consumed in excess. Processed grains often lack the fiber and nutrients found in whole grains, leading to blood sugar spikes and crashes. Added sugars contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, processed foods often contain artificial additives and preservatives that can have adverse effects on health.

When followers of the carnivore and vegan diets eliminate processed foods, they also avoid the additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients that are common in many modern foods. This reduction in processed food intake might be the common thread that explains the health benefits seen in both dietary approaches.

An Evolutionary Perspective

From an evolutionary standpoint, our ancestors thrived on diets of nutrient-dense whole foods, sourced directly from their environment, such as wild game, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The advent of agriculture around 10,000 years ago introduced grains and domesticated animals into the diet, but these remained relatively unprocessed compared to today's standards. It is only in the last century that industrialization has drastically changed food processing, leading to the widespread availability of highly refined sugars, industrialized seed oils, and chemically preserved foods. These changes have been linked to a rise in chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.

Our bodies evolved to process whole, natural foods, not the highly processed products common in modern diets. The diets of our ancestors did not include the additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients prevalent today. Thus, by reverting to a diet that eliminates processed foods—whether through a carnivore or vegan approach—individuals likely reduce their intake of substances our bodies are not equipped to handle.

This evolutionary perspective helps explain why both carnivore and vegan diets, despite their differences, can lead to similar health benefits. They encourage a return to eating patterns that align more closely with human evolutionary history, focusing on nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods.

A Middle Ground: The Paleo Approach

Given these takeaways, the paleo diet presents a balanced solution by emphasizing whole, unprocessed foods similar to those consumed by our ancestors. Research shows that the paleo diet can lead to significant health benefits. For example, a study found that participants on a paleo diet experienced a 30% reduction in triglycerides and a 25% improvement in blood pressure (Cleveland Clinic). Another study noted that individuals following a paleo diet showed improved glucose tolerance, reduced insulin secretion, increased insulin sensitivity, and a significant reduction in waist circumference (Cleveland Clinic). These statistics underscore the potential of the paleo diet to improve overall metabolic health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Conclusion: Focusing on What Not to Eat

Instead of debating whether the carnivore or vegan diet is superior, it's clear that the issue lies more in what you're not consuming rather than what you are. For tens of thousands of years, our ancestors evolved while consuming whole, nutrient-dense foods from both plants and animals. Perhaps we should take note and honor what our biology has evolved to thrive on.